This invention relates to game playing methods for gaming machines such as slot machines and video poker machines. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods of allowing game players to play video pachinko on a gaming machine.
There are a wide variety of devices that can comprise a gaming machine such as a slot machine or video poker machine. Some examples of these devices are lights, slot reels, ticket printers, card readers, speakers, bill validators, coin acceptors, display panels, key pads, bonus wheels, and button pads. These devices provide many of the features which allow a gaming machine to present a game. Some of these devices are built into the gaming machine. Often, a number of devices are grouped together in a separate box that is placed on top of the gaming machine. Devices of this type are commonly called a top box.
Typically, utilizing a master gaming controller, the gaming machine controls various combinations of devices that allow a player to play a game on the gaming machine and also encourage game play on the gaming machine. For example, a game played on a gaming machine usually requires a player to input money or indicia of credit into the gaming machine, indicate a wager amount, and initiate a game play. These steps require the gaming machine to operate input devices including bill validators and coin acceptors to accept money into the gaming machine and recognize user inputs from devices including key pads and button pads to determine the wager amount and initiate game play.
After a game has been initiated on the gaming machine, the gaming machine determines a game outcome and presents the outcome of the game to a player. For example, for a slot game, after a player has initiated a game by pressing an input button or pulling a handle attached to the gaming machine, the gaming machine determines a game outcome which is the final position of each reel on the slot machine. A requirement for most gaming machines is that the probability of each game outcome is precisely known and remains constant during game play. Thus, when a player plays two or more games on a gaming machine the probability of a particular game outcome is the same for each game that the player initiates.
After the gaming machine determines the game outcome, the outcome of the game is presented to the player. For the slot game, the game outcome presentation might include a number reels spinning, visual effects including flashing or strobing lights and auditory effects including bells and whistles. The game outcome presentation, including the various visual and auditory effects, is designed to add excitement to the game being played on the gaming machine and encourage additional game play.
Usually near the end of the game outcome presentation, the game outcome is presented. For example, for the slot game, the reels stop at a final position. Based on the game outcome, the gaming machine may notify the player of an award of a varying amount or notify the player that the wager made on the game was lost. For example, for a slot game with three slot reels, when the final position of each reel corresponds to the display of an identical symbol including three cherries, three bars or the like, a player might be awarded a credit of 5 times the initial wager made on the game. However, other symbol combinations including 2 cherries and a bar or two bars and a cherry might result in a loss of the wager made on the game. Further, each time a player plays a game the probability of a particular game outcome such as three cherries or three bars will usually be the same. After the game outcome has been presented, a player may initiate a new game by making a new wager on the gaming machine and initiating the next game play.
The amount of game play on a gaming machine is usually a function of the type of game. A few examples of games that are played on video gaming machines are slot games, poker, black jack, and keno. Among these games, slot games and video poker are probably the most popular. A casino typically offers various types of games because many game players are attracted to some games but dislike others. When a player wants to play a game on a gaming machine but does not like any of the offered games, this person may choose not play. Also, when a player finds a particular game only mildly exciting, the player may become disinterested after a short time and cease their game play. Thus, to increase game play, new games are desired that may attract players previously uninterested in game play on a gaming machine. Accordingly, to attract new players, new games for gaming machines are desired that are exciting and are interesting enough to hold a player's interest over a long period of time.
An exciting game which may draw new players to game play on a gaming machine and hold their interest for extended periods is pachinko. A single game of mechanical pachinko involves dropping a ball through a portion of a vertical box. The ball starts at the top of the box and is drawn through the box via the force of gravity. A large number of obstacles are arranged within the box. As a ball falls through the box, the trajectory of the ball is altered by collisions with the obstacles. A number of objects are placed within the box that allow a ball to exit the portion of the box where the collisions are taking place. A game outcome is determined by the exit from which the ball leaves the box. The game is designed such that it is very difficult to predict the trajectory of the ball within the box and hence the exit from which the ball leaves.
The history of pachinko is uncertain. One theory is that it originated in the United States in Chicago, Ill. in the early 1920's. Another theory is that it originated in France or England. At some point in the early 1920's, the game was imported to Japan. Within Japan, the game has gained a large following as a source of amusement and is very popular. Currently, mechanical pachinko games are manufactured by many companies mostly residing in Japan.
Traditionally, pachinko is played with metallic balls in a thin vertical box. The front surface of the box is composed of a transparent material that allows a player to view what is inside the box. The back of the box is usually composed of an opaque material. Between the front and back surfaces of the box are usually a large number of thin cylindrical pegs that are perpendicular to the front and back surfaces. Further, these pegs span the distance between the front and back surfaces. The diameter of the pegs is usually much smaller than the diameter of the metallic balls used to play the game and the distance between the front and back vertical surfaces is usually not much greater than the diameter of the balls. In early versions of mechanical pachinko, the back of the box was made of plywood with nail driven through the wood to serve as obstacles. Pegs are the most common type of obstacle but other obstacles may also be placed in the box. These obstacles alter the trajectory of a ball as it passes through the box.
Usually, a pachinko game includes a mechanism that places the balls at the top of the box. The mechanism may include inputs that allow the player to influence the initial position and velocity of the ball at the top of the box. The trajectory of the ball through the box is extremely sensitive to the initial position and velocity of the ball at the top of the box. The sensitivity makes it very difficult to predict the trajectory of the ball through the box.
The game of pachinko is easy to understand. Typically, a potential player can quickly understand the rules of the game and begin playing. Further, a player may influence the game presentation. As described above, a pachinko game usually includes a mechanism that allows a player to determine the initial velocity and position of the ball at the beginning of the game. The initial velocity and position of the ball affect the trajectory of the ball and hence the game presentation. This player interaction differs from a game such as slot games where the game presentation is similar for each game. The potential for player interaction in the game presentation for pachinko adds to the excitement of the game.
A disadvantage of mechanical pachinko games and a limitation to their utilization as a gaming device is the difficulty in precisely determining the probability of each game outcome on a particular machine. Besides the initial position and velocity of the ball at the top of the box, the trajectory of a ball may be affected by the specific manufacturing tolerances of each machine, the manufacturing tolerances of each ball, and the precise orientation of the pachinko machine. Further, with repeated game playing, aspects of the mechanical pachinko game may be altered in a manner which changes the probability of game outcomes on a particular machine. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a pachinko-like game where the probability of each game may be precisely determined such that the probabilities do not vary with time on a particular gaming machine and the probabilities may be duplicated on different gaming machines.
Traditionally, game play on a gaming machine such as a slot machine, video poker machine, is presented sequentially. For example, for a slot game after a player has made deposited money or a credit of indicia into the gaming machine, a player makes a wager and initiates a game play. Then, the gaming machine determines a game outcome and presents the game outcome. A player is not able to make a new wager and initiate another game on the gaming machine until the presentation of the outcome of the previous game is complete.
A disadvantage of many games played on a gaming machine is that the sequential game play limits the gaming throughput. On a gaming machine, the gaming throughput is the maximum number of games that can be played on the gaming machine in a fixed period of time. The length of a game may be defined as the sequence of a player making a bet and initiating a game play and the gaming machine determining and presenting a game outcome. For example, on a slot machine, this game sequence usually requires about 3–5 seconds. Thus, in this example, the gaming throughput for this machine is about 0.2 to 0.3 games/second.
The profitability of a gaming machine is usually related to the product of the gaming throughput and the average wager per game. Typically, casino operators prefer gaming machines with a high profitability because the house share or drop is a percentage of the wagers made on the gaming machine. For a slot machine, the average wager per game may be increased by offering multiple wagering opportunities such as multiple paylines. This game playing methodology may increase the average wager per game. However, it may also decrease the gaming throughput because of the time needed to make multiple wagers.
Typically, for most games played on a gaming machine, the majority of time in a game sequence is consumed by the game outcome presentation. For example, for a slot game, the game outcome presentation involves the slot reels spinning and stopping at a final position. Typically, the length of the game outcome presentation is made as short as possible to increase the game throughput. However, when the game outcome presentation becomes too short a player may lose interest in the game. Thus, for sequential game play on a gaming machine, the gaming throughput is usually limited by the presentation of the game outcome. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide games for a gaming machine which overcomes the limitations of sequential game outcome presentations and increases the gaming throughput of a gaming machine.